Actrix Contact Info

"If you put tomfoolery into a computer, nothing
comes out of it but tomfoolery. But this tomfoolery, having passed through a very
expensive machine, is somehow ennobled and no-one dares criticise it."
- Pierre Gallois.

Welcome to another Actrix customer
newsletter. This month we've been sorry to see our main receptionist, Jovanae Ward, move
on. She's taken up a job at Hutt Hospital. I know a lot of customers have appreciated her
cheerful assistance on the phone. We welcome Jemma Woodhouse, who has taken her place.

Actrix Broadband

A lot of customers have been inquiring about Actrix's plans regarding broadband. To
date it's been a little frustrating in that we haven't been happy with the way the product
has been wholesaled to us, and trying to find ways of offering plans that customers would
want, whilst having them be at all profitable, has been like trying to make a silk purse
out of pig's ear. Many will have been following the broadband saga in the media, and will
be aware that things are changing a little, and that Telecom has increased what it is
offering in terms of speed, whilst decreasing what it will allow in terms of traffic. It's
not really good enough, but we're looking at the options, and, depending on how
negotiations with Telecom go, we're hoping we can make some real and positive changes to
the broadband plans we're currently offering. Watch this space!

Keeping safe online

Viruses, spyware, hacking, zombies, auto-diallers, identity theft! When those bright
boys invented the Internet back in the 50s, did they ever think about how much angst they
were going to cause? Going online can appear to be fraught with pitfalls, but there are a
number of reasonably simple things you can do to minimise your risk.

With millions of computers online at any time, net-predators have plenty of easy
targets. The less vulnerable you can make yourself, the less likely it will be that
theyll find time for you.

Regular Windows Updates

The most common trick used to wreak havoc on your hard drive is to exploit a bug in
your operating system or browser. Microsoft regularly releases updates for Windows that
fix these bugs as they are discovered. If you have Windows XP, you should go into your
Control Panel and turn auto-updates on. Your computer will connect to Microsoft and
download and install updates behind the scenes as needed when youre online. If you
have an older operating system you should visit http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com regularly
and download and install the latest critical security updates. Windows Updates can also be
accessed by opening Internet Explorer and clicking Tools/Windows Updates. If you like use
Firefox or another "boutique browser" you will need to use Internet Explorer
temporarily to download updates.

Use a
Firewall

Remote connections to your computer are a very real threat. A number of viruses can now
find and connect to you without having to come through e-mail. Spammers commonly seek to
take secret control of other peoples computers, which they then use to send spam or
commit other net-crimes. These harvested computers are called zombies, and
there are probably thousands of people in New Zealand who own zombie machines without
knowing it.

Think of a firewall as being like a bouncer at your computers online doorway. It
wont let anything in (e.g. a malicious connection from a hacker) or out (e.g.
spyware trying to call home with information about you) unless you specifically allow it.
Even better, a firewall will keep you anonymous. People seeking to break into your
computer scan the Internet looking for open doors. Most firewalls will hide you from these
scans, and net-predators wont know youre there to attack you. Again, Windows
XP comes with a firewall built in. At the very least you should use it. Go into your
Control Panel, and then the Security Centre, and make sure it is on. If you dont
have XP, you can download a popular free firewall (Zone Alarm) from www.zonelabs.com. Look around the site for the link to
the free basic version.

Viruses

Viruses are cleverly written malicious programs that seek to install themselves on the
hard drives of the unwary. Worm viruses replicate and send out copies of themselves to
find new homes (via e-mail or straight across the Internet). Once installed, they will
often call home too for new instructions about what damage to do. Trojan viruses will open
a secret doorway for a remote hacker to get in, and some will even broadcast your
helplessness and location onto the Internet.

By default, Actrix scans and filters your e-mail for viruses, but you should not rely
exclusively on that. It is strongly recommended that you augment that with your own
personal anti-virus protection.

Anti-virus programs act as an extra filter before your e-mail gets to you, but they can
also be scheduled to regularly scan your hard drive for viruses that have arrived by other
means (straight across the Internet or via a floppy disk). Each time you connect to the
Internet theyll check with their home site and download an understanding of the
latest viruses, so they can keep themselves up-to-date.

If you'd prefer a paid product with renown, reputation, and a proven track record,
Actrix will soon be retailing NOD32 virus protection at a reduced price for existing
customers. NOD32 can be downloaded to your personal computer for just $4.95 per month.
It's the best performing anti-virus software on the market and comes with
"Threatsense" technology which gives it a head start in detecting new viruses.
It compares incoming files to older viruses looking for similarities, allowing it to
protect you from some new nasties even before updates for them have been received. It also
contains spyware detection, and will come with free Actrix help desk support.

Definitions

Firewall - A program that acts like a gatekeeper for your
computer refusing to allow any connection in or out without your permission, and alerting
you to possible intrusions.Viruses - Malicious software designed to inhabit your hard
drive, do damage, or make you more vulnerable to other forms of attack.Spyware - Software that monitors your Internet habits, reporting
them to someone else for market research purposes; often will download ads
tailored to your deduced interests.Auto-diallers - Sneaky programs that disconnect your legitimate
dialup connection and redial you to a premium connection service leading to massive bills
on your phone account.Zombies - Computers that have been taken over and are remotely
used by someone else to send spam, store porn, or commit online crime. Users are unaware
their computer is being used for such purposes.Bugs/exploits - Problems in software that arent detected
upon release, but which can be fixed by later updates. Net-predators find these bugs and
use them to get access to computers via backdoor means.

Spyware

Spyware is a constantly re-occurring problem for most computers. It sneaks onto your
machine (often via programs that you or your kids have downloaded or installed) and
reports back to its maker about your online habits. It may also cause ads to pop up at
you, even when you're not online, and it can mess with your settings and home page. One of
the most annoying things it does is clog your connection, slowing down the rate at which
you can download the pages you really want. Many machines have a whole swag of these
little programs all muscling in at once on available bandwidth.

There are several free spyware removal tools available. Spybot Search and Destroy can
be freely downloaded from http://www.safer-networking.org/.
Ad-aware is available free from http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/.
Each of these programs also connects home each time you go online and downloads the latest
information about spyware. You can then run the programs whenever you choose and they will
usually find and remove most spyware, auto-diallers and a few Trojans as well.

Off-the-Shelf

Free software mentioned here does a good job, but most of it is pretty
no-frills and support is limited. A lot of people feel more comfortable using
paid software that comes from tried and true companies that are also more likely to stand
behind and support their products.

There are a number of off-the-shelf comprehensive packages available for those wanting
a reliable one stop shop approach to their online security. Norton Internet
Security 2006 (Windows XP only) and McAfee Internet Security Suite 2006 (most Windows
versions) provide a firewall, and a collection of programs to help with most security
needs. The Norton offering is the most comprehensive (McAfee doesnt provide a
spyware scanner, for example), but both are relatively easy to install and use. Each
program retails for around $128, but new subscriptions need to be paid each year.

Some Common Sense Donts

Of course, nothing beats good old common sense.

Don't click attachments that come to you unsolicited. They may well be viruses.

Don't download lots of free programs offered on the net. All those animated smileys may
be pretty funky, and turning your cursor-pointer into a rocket ship may seem cool, but any
free program offered online will almost always contain spyware.

Don't respond to e-mails requesting you to log on to your banking or auction site to
update your details. Such e-mails are phishing attempts to capture your passwords and
reputable companies will never ask you to do this.

Don't send sensitive data by e-mail. E-mail can be read by lots of people who have
access to servers it travels through, and also, you have no real control over who that
e-mail may be forwarded to.

Don't store sensitive data in documents on your computer. If your security is ever
breached, everything about you may be there for the taking.

Readers' forum

If you'd like to ask a question or request some help on any Actrix
or Internet-related matter. Simply send me an e-mail
with the word "Forum" in the subject line. I'll try and get an answer to you by
return e-mail, and will also post the answer here for the benefit of others who may have a
similar question or problem. By the same token, if you read something here and think you
may have something to suggest, please feel more than free. Please also note that questions
and answers may also turn up under the Helpful Tips section on the Actrix home page (www.actrix.co.nz).

John writes: I am getting frustrated with a pop-up that comes regularly
on to my screen from WinFIXER telling me I have severe faults on my PC and need to buy
their product to eliminate the problems or my computer could be severely damaged... Do you
advise me to purchase this program?

Jim Breen (from Actrix Support) responds: Hi John, The WinFixer program uses clever
business tactics to lure users into buying something that is not necessary. WinFixer gives
exaggerated reports of threats on the computer and then prompts the user to purchase a
registered version of the software in order to remove the reported threats. Do not
purchase the product.

In a few instances, you may be able to remove the program via Windows Add/Remove
Programs (go to the Windows Control Panel and click Add/Remove Programs). Look for
WinFixer in the list - it is generally towards the end). If you are one of the lucky ones,
remove the program, restart your computer and your system should be clear. Be aware
however, that WinFixer may have been installed by some other adware program on your
computer, so it is possible that it may return.

If Add/Remove Programs wasn't successful in the removal of the WinFixer popup, it is
time to clean up your system and use a specially designed spyware removal tool. Step one
is to flush out all the temp files on your system: Cookies, Temporary Internet Files and
Temp files (you can do this via Internet Explorer's Tools-Internet Options Download,
install and run an anti-Spyware program. Click here for some help in that
regard.

Mick writes: Rob, For some reason my computer is now opening Internet
Explorer pages in minimised mode. Can't think what I have done to cause this, but have to
click maximise each time. What can I do to ensure web pages open automatically in the
maximised mode? Thanks and regards, Mick.

Alan Jordan, from Actrix Support responds: Hi there Mick, If you follow these
instructions, Internet Explorer should start opening up maximised again.

Close all windows except the one that opens minimised.

Right click on your Task Bar and select "Tile Windows Horizontally." The task
bar is the grey stretch along the base of the screen.

Internet Explorer will maximise.

Close Internet Explorer.

Re-open Internet Explorer and it should be maximised.

Hopefully this works out for you.

Reg writes: Dear Rob, I am thinking about upgrading my computer and have
a couple of questions. Is it ok to onsell my present system with the bundled software that
came with it when I originally bought it? Before I onsell I plan to save all my personal
data and then reformat the hard drive. I read somewhere recently that reformatting the
hard drive is no guarantee that personal passwords and visa account numbers would no
longer be on the system and for anyone with the right expertise they could find them
embedded in the system. The article also said that there is some software available that
can wipe all of this personal data from the hard drive prior to reformatting, is this
correct, and where would I get hold of a copy? Many thanks

Hi Reg, These aren't really net-related questions, but they're useful all the same, so
I'll make a few quick comments.

Firstly, yes, it is quite okay to leave bundled software on the computer when you sell
it, or pass on the disks and manuals etc if you've re-formatted the hard drive. You aren't
allowed to make and keep copies for yourself, though.

You've heard right in that formatting a machine is no real guarantee that some
enterprising future owner won't be able to retrieve your data. Most people wouldn't
bother, but you just never know. Reformatting doesn't really erase very much at all.
Programs called disk sanitisers can be purchased that actually over-write everything on
your hard drive with random information. They'll also over-write it several times to
remove what's called "magnetic residue" which could theoretically allow
retrieval of information that has been over-written. One such tool is available free from www.killdisk.com.

The longest domain name in the worldhttp://www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.com/
- Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.com is the longest single
word (without hyphens) .com domain name in the world. It was registered by Internetters on
21 October 1999. This Welsh town actually exists and its name translates as "The
church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St.
Tysilio's of the red cave".

Speed-reading techniqueshttp://www.indwes.edu/tuesday/speed.htm
- According to this site, speed-reading is easier than you might think. First you have to
un-learn a few things and then practice a few simple steps to get faster and remember
more. It may take you a while to read this page, but only the first time!

The love calculatorwww.lovecalculator.com/ -
Here's a handy tool for checking out whether you're really with Ms or Mr Right. Just enter
the names of any two participants in any relationship and let Dr Love tell you what chance
the relationship has of succeeding. See, the Internet is good for something, and of course
it's accurate!

The Childhood Goat Trauma Foundationwww.goat-trauma.org/ - You
decide how serious this is.....
"The Childhood Goat Trauma Foundation was created in 1982 by a small group that
originally came together as a an informal support group for problems that were the result
of traumatic experiences at petting zoos as children."

Penguin messagehttp://www.paperboy.nl/show.php?PID=652E5E90-2736-49ED-CAE2E45213CE8833
- Type in a brief message and you'll receive a link which, when clicked, results in a
flash show of a penguin surfing the message out on the side of a snowy mountain. You can
choose a message, and send the link on to that particular penguin fan you're trying to
impress.

IP spotting for fun and recreationwww.ipspotting.com/ - This site
represents a great attempt at making the mundane interesting. When you connect to the
site, it looks at your computer's IP Address and renders it as a bitmap, a poker hand, a
UNIX date and even a point on the map. Not sure what an IP Address is? Go here.

Make Stuffwww.make-stuff.com/ - "When
your friends say, "You know you can buy one of those..." do you say, "Yeah,
so?" If you love to make things, if you constantly have a project going in a back
room, or cluttering up a kitchen counter, if you start making Christmas presents in June
and you watch all those do-it-yourself shows on TV, come on in! We've got all kinds of
recipes, formulas, craft projects and ideas that you can make yourself. "

It's a bad, bad, bad, bad moviehttp://rinkworks.com/badmovie/
- "Every single movie on this page is, in some fashion, a complete stinker. And yet
some of them have a certain appeal to the type of people who simply like bad movies. If
you're such a person, you've come to the right place. This film review site is dedicated
to reviewing bad movies for bad movie lovers. The rating scale goes from one turkey to
five turkeys."

Scholars for 9/11 Truthhttp://www.scholarsfor911truth.org/
- These conspiracy theory sites just keep on appearing. Here's another one that presents
its info in a reasonably easy to follow format (which makes a nice change). What really
happened on September 11 is anybody's guess, but reading about the apparent anomalies in
the stories makes for interesting reading.

New Zealand

Confessions of an eBay addict: Go on, it says, evil temptress
that it is, you know you want to. And it's right. I do want to, so very much. So much so
that my breathing is shallow, my guilt quotient is through the ceiling and my mouth is
dry, so very dry. Click here
for more.

Telecom's broadband plan annoys ISPs: ISPs gripe that
Telecom's wholesale regime make it uneconomic to take on broadband customers through
Telecom's network. Click here for more.

Scam alleged on auction site: A Picton man sold laptop
computers to 23 customers over the internet auction site TradeMe, then fled to Hong Kong
with nearly $20,000 and never delivered the goods, police say. Click here for
more.

NZ second biggest web user in world: New Zealanders are the
second-biggest users of the internet in the world despite poor broadband uptake, new
statistics show. Click here for more.

General

Arctic Monkeys take to the stage: Their success suggests that
the internet is changing not only the way the world listens to music, via iPods and other
download devices, but also the way bands break into the mainstream and market themselves.
Click here
for more.

Study shows one in eight gets offensive emails: The scale of
harassment over the internet has been revealed for the first time by an official study in
the UK. Click here for more.

Addicted to your computer?: Experts, users can't agree on
when long online use is excessive or detrimental to those staring at a screen. Click here for more.

Search site retires iconic Jeeves: Jeeves the valet who for a
decade has overseen searches on the Ask website is about to be sacked. Click here for
more.

Web offers glimpses into shattered lives: Those pictures of
Lillian Rose Entwistle, now heart-wrenching, have a far broader audience than the friends
and family for whom they were intended, after she and her mother were slain and her father
charged with killing them. Click here for more.

Blogging? Six tips on how to do it right: his chapter and the
next are dedicated to helping you understand some of blogging's finer points... Click here for more.

Poll: Web a fun place to hang out: Nearly one-third of
American Internet users surveyed said they go online just for fun rather than to check
e-mail, read news or use a search engine... Click here for more.

New US plan to ban internet bets: US politicians have
launched a fresh bid to stop overseas internet gambling sites reaching American users.
Click here
for more.

Make your website work for you: Making a powerful first
impression, however, is only the beginning. Getting people to regularly visit a site
requires further incentive. Click here for more.

Online amateurs crack Nazi codes: Three German ciphers
unsolved since World War II are finally being cracked, helped by thousands of home
computers. Click here for more.

Viruses

Kama Sutra a wet blanket: The worm was programmed to
overwrite files on infected Windows PCs on Friday (February 3), but in the event only a
few people got hit - even though many machines were infected at one time or another. Click
here
for more.

Security and Safety

U.S. identity theft losses grow, but Web small factor: U.S.
consumers lost nearly $57 billion last year to criminals who stole their identities, but
online fraud was the culprit in just one in 10 cases... Click here for more.

Call for internet safety lessons: Lessons on how to use the
internet safely should become compulsory in schools, university researchers say. Click here
for more.

OFT warns of online dating scams: In fact, once these cads
and cadesses hook their victim, they then start asking for cash (so, a bit like marriage,
ed). Click here
for more.

Warning over Valentine's e-cards: Valentine's Day could be a
bonanza for malicious hackers, internet security experts are warning. Click here for
more.

Zombie PCs growing quickly online: Most zombies are recruited
by viruses and trojans. Some of these backdoors into computers are installed if users
visit the wrong website in so-called drive-by downloads but many are e-mailed and rely on
naive users opening infected attachments. Click here for
more.

Do you know what your child is doing online?: While no parent
particularly likes spying on their child, in the computer age, Wolf notes, responsible
parents don't have a lot of choice. Click here for more.

Teens at risk on social Web sites: Parents, school
administrators and police are increasingly worried that teens are finding trouble online
at sites like MySpace, the leader among the social-networking sites that encourage users
to build larger and larger circles of friends. Click here for more.

Mainly Microsoft

Who does the net think you are?: As Microsoft reveals its new
plans for online identity, technology commentator Bill Thompson wonders how to prove who
he really is. Click here for more.

World's largest Windows error message: And then, across the
square, I saw it: the world's largest Windows error message - on a two-story high
e-billboard (I guess everything really is bigger in New York). Click here for
more.

Mac News

Unix, Linux and Open Source

'Wanna-be geek' champions IT: A "hell of a fight"
broke out when he wanted to run Mozilla Firefox and the parliamentary PC police decreed
that only Microsoft's Internet Explorer was allowed on their network. Click here for more.

The strange tale of Linux, Linus and a town called Dunedin:
As a stranger in my own town, wandering the portals of the Linux Australia 2006 conference
at the University of Otago in Dunedin, I was strictly doing the paint-by-numbers thing.
Click here for more.

The Weird, Weird Web

Web suicide pacts sweep Japan: The number of Japanese people
who killed themselves after making suicide pacts forged over the internet almost doubled
last year. Click here for more.

Customer: "I've been signed up with your service for
over a week, and have not been able to connect even once because of busy signals. If I
can't get any better service than that, I'm going to switch to another ISP."Tech Support: "Hmmm...that shouldn't be happening. We're
nowhere near maxing out our dial up lines. Are you sure you're dialing the right
number?"Customer: "I'm not stupid! I know my own phone
number!"

Customer: "I'm having problems connecting to the
Internet through the University. I've just moved, and I'm not sure if the cables are
connected properly."Tech Support: "Well, how are the cables connected
now?"Customer: "Oh, wait, this cord needs to be--" (click)
Five minutes later, she called
back.Tech Support: "We seemed to have been disconnected."Customer: "Right, I was moving these phone cords--"
(click)
Five minutes later, she called
back.Tech Support: "Are you using a phone plugged into your
modem?"Customer: "Yes, I don't have my other one hooked up
yet--" (click)

Customer: "How do I get online with your service? Do I
need disks?"Tech Support: "Well, I'll give you a call back in about 15
minutes once I'm done setting up your account on our end, and then I'll explain over the
phone to you how to get online."Customer: "Wow! How do you do that!? I mean, you didn't
send me anything, and I don't have to do anything? Don't I have to, like, plug in the
Internet or something?"

Customer: "I need help with this dialer. The police have
already shown up to my office twice today."Tech Support: "Ok, let's check out the settings. Do you
have anything entered for getting an outside line?"Customer: "A nine."Tech Support: "Do you need to dial a 9 for an outside
line?"Customer: "I'm not sure. I think so."Tech Support: "Could you double check?"Customer: "Sure. (pause) Nope. Turns out we don't need
it."Tech Support: "Ok. Then remove it. What do you have for the
area code?"Customer: "One and then [area code]."Tech Support: "Uhm, you don't need the one. Windows 95
automatically adds that."Customer: "Oh. So you mean..."Tech Support: "Yes, your computer was dialing 911 and then
the phone number."

Tech Support: "May I ask the reason you are cancelling
our service?"Customer: "Yeah, I just moved, and the phone jack in my new
house is too far away from the computer."

Customer: "My dial up is not working."Tech Support: "Well, what kind of error are you
getting?"Customer: "Well, I'm not exactly sure, but it tells me my
personal identification is wrong."Tech Support: "Ok, I need you to open up the program."Customer: "Whoa, hold on a second." (fumbling around)
"Ok, I got it open. Sorry, I have the computer on the seat next to me, and I'm
driving."

Tech Support: "Well, let me look up your account
information to make sure we have the correct password."Customer: "Ok."Tech Support: "Hmmm...let's re-enter your password."Customer: "Ok."Tech Support: "All right. Your password is 'XYZ123'."Customer: "Oh, that's what I have written down, but that's
not not what I put in."Tech Support: "What did you put in?"Customer: "'FURBY'."Tech Support: "Why did you do that?"Customer: "Because I didn't like yours."

Tech Support: "Are you sure this is the right
password?"Customer: (exasperated) "I'm sure it's the correct
password. I typed in the one I saw (another co-worker) use to login to her machine."Tech Support: "And what password was that?"Customer: "Five asterisks."

Thanks again
for reading the Actrix newsletter. Feedback can be sent to me via the e-mail address
listed below. Please limit this to comments/suggestions regarding the newsletter.
Non-forum requests for support should go to the Actrix Help Desk (support@actrix.co.nz) or to the Accounts Department
(accounts@actrix.co.nz).